March 2016

The Establishment

 
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Sermon notes of Pastor Mark Downey

Scripture Reading: II Thessalonians 2:1-4

I've been writing about “The Establishment” for decades and decided to dedicate a sermon, not to the Establishment, but to the establishment of the Truth.  There is a lot of fanfare and talk of the Establishment in this election year, 2016.  Ever wonder why they call it the Establishment?  Do Christians really yearn for the establishment of the Kingdom of God?  Who or what is the Establishment in the United States?  Well, if we were to synthesize the divine dialectic, the Establishment is not the Kingdom or vice versa.  The antithesis of God's Kingdom is often cited as Babylon.  The Establishment is a hive of secret societies that have connections to the mystery religions and they want the world.  Any Christian worth their salt should know that in prophecy, the Establishment is known as Mystery Babylon.  Well, that was pretty easy to connect those two dots, but what and why is the Establishment doing what they do?  Where and when did this Establishment rear its ugly head in America?  How did they establish themselves as the Establishment?  I'll tell you something: nothing can succeed politically without a spiritual resolve, and by that I don't necessarily mean something good. It can be an evil spirit, a corruption of the soul that becomes the Establishment.  The soul of our nation has become corrupt, because of the Establishment.

A Judicial Conundrum

 
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Sermon notes of Pastor Mark Downey

Scripture Reading: I Samuel 8:4-6

I mentioned recently, as well as being a common retort, that we live in exciting times (for both fearful and joyful people), but the pendulum also swings, for the rest of humanity, as a time of mediocrity and boredom.  What's the difference between excitement and boredom?  I think it's whether or not people judge things.  In other words, making a decision as to whether something is right or wrong.  Sometimes being a Christian can be extremely difficult.  Being a watchman on the wall can be like bamboo shoots growing through your fingernails.  It is painfully excruciating to watch what is happening to America; a generation without a moral compass.  Ancient Israel had guards who would stand upon the walls of Jerusalem and in the towers and look out upon the land.  What were they looking for?  Enemies!  They were guarding their city against opposing forces, invading aliens.  I've yet to see in the classifieds an ad in the 'employment opportunities' section that said: Need a blind, deaf and mute security guard i.e. sees no evil, hears no evil and speaks no evil.  To hire such people would be counter-productive to say the least.  This is how God evaluated Israel's watchmen in the days of Isaiah the prophet, “Israel's watchmen are blind, all of them, they know nothing; all of them are mute dogs, they cannot bark; they dream, lie down, and love to sleep. They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, they seek their own gain. Come, let me get some wine, let's guzzle some beer; and tomorrow will be like today, only far better!" Isaiah 56:10-12.  Do the presumptuous defenders of our faith and people understand what's happening today?  Unfortunately, they do not and we have reached a judicial conundrum.